5 weeks in, want to pump- when?

[Kate3150]

EBF DS but I need a break.
When is the best time to pump in the day that fits around feeding?

Honestly? If you need a break, expressing isn’t the way to go IMHO. It’s hard work, not always easy and can be stressful. You’re still establishing breast feeding and it will get easier and less time consuming. Honestly-if you need a break I’d give (or get someone else to give) the baby the occasional bottle of formula rather than express. But that’s me-please ignore me!

Completely agree with you. Would love to give some formula however hit some glitches in the last week…
We think baby has mild CMPA so I’m cutting out dairy to see if symptoms improve.
if they do, will need a formula on prescription!
Ive been so down this week about it all ☹️

I EBF and my baby had CMPA. The problem is, the prescription formula tastes horrible and babies don't take it. Even formula fed babies find it hard to adjust to the dairy free stuff. They're also thinner and can often cause reflux. There are also different formulas - some have dairy broken down more, and only one or 2 actually have zero dairy (and they are the most problematic and GP won't prescribe it at first).

If you genuinely suspect CMPA, stick with breastfeeding for now. Cut dairy AND soy for a good 3 weeks. Be very, very strict otherwise it's a total and complete waste of time and effort. Dairy builds up in the system, yours and baby's. A bit of dairy here and there will still cause a reaction and you won't be able to tell for sure why. If you see an improvement, stick with the dairy free diet, and trial dairy again in 6-8 weeks time after symptoms have gone. If symptoms return, go back to being dairy free.

We managed to include dairy in my diet at 6 months (had tried at 4 months and failed, reflux and tummy aches came back instantly and horribly). My DS is 18 months now and is doing the dairy ladder, he has successfully had baked dairy this week, so there is hope!

Note it's very rare for babies to react to the dairy in breastmilk as it's quite broken down already. At 5 weeks, there could be a whole host of other reasons for the issues. Which is why I think you need to be very strict with the dairy free amd soy free diet because if you see no improvement, you will know for sure it's not the dairy and can move on quickly.

Oh, and in terms of pumping, I found morning the best time. That's when you get the most milk in the least amount of time. I used to do it around 7/8am, my baby usually woke around 6am, I fed him, and then he'd sleep another few hours so i pumped then.

The best time is the time you can. You can pump here and there when you get the chance. You can store unwashed pump parts in a Tupperware box in the fridge for up to 24 hours. If you collect small volumes of milk store in the fridge til the same temp and mix together. You can also freeze in icecube trays. Ice cube amounts defrost quickly.